Monologues, Scenes, Reviews, Commentaries, One-Act and Full-Length Plays, Interviews, and Events from the World of Theatre

You may think you’ve seen just about every variation on the dysfunctional family play. Adultery? Check. Sexual abuse? Check. Drug addiction, incest, alcoholism. Check, check and — yawn — check.

I’m here to tell you that unless you’ve seen “Hir,” the sensational — in all senses of the word — play by Taylor Mac, you cannot consider yourself an authority on this ever-enduring genre of American theater. Mr. Mac’s audacious and uproarious black comedy, which opened on Sunday at Playwrights Horizons in a crackling production, makes even the more extreme angst-amidst-the-chintz plays seem like demure drawing-room comedies of the 1950s.

Consider just the opening tableau: the kitchen and living room of a modest California home, looking as if squatters had been running amok for a good few years. Knee-high piles of clothing blanket the floor, and you wouldn’t want to go near the sink without a hazmat suit. (The set designer, David Zinn, renders this chaos with abundant flair.)

Stage Voices Publishing for archived posts and sign up for free e-mail updates: http 2015:// www.stagevoices.com/ . If you would like to contribute a review, monologue, or other work related to theatre, please write to Bob Shuman at Bobjshuman@gmail.com.